1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method of supporting the configuration of a storage system to which one or a plurality of storage devices is connected through a network, and it also relates to a program used for the apparatus and the method. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus, a method of supporting the configuration of a Storage Area Network system (hereinafter, referred to as SAN system) and a program used for this support.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, there has been the demand for the reduction of TOC (Total Cost of Ownership) by integrating and unitarily managing one or a plurality of storage devices used by each server in the storage system including one or a plurality of servers and one or a plurality of storage devices that are connected by a LAN, etc. As a system that satisfies such a demand, a SAN system has been widely used.
A SAN system is configured by connecting between a server and a storage device by a fabric method using a communication path that is provided other than a LAN (for example, fiber channel and fiber channel switch). This configuration enables a high-speed access from a server to a storage device. Furthermore, by dynamically connecting between a server and a storage device, a plurality of storage devices can be unitarily managed.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one example of the configuration of a SAN system. Here, a server 100, a storage device 200, fiber channel switches (hereinafter, referred to as FC switch) 300 and 310 are connected by an optical fiber.
The server 100 is provided with fiber channel ports (hereinafter, referred to as FC port) 101 and 102, while the storage device 200 is provided with FC ports 201 to 204. Furthermore, the FC switch 300 is provided with FC ports 301a to 301i. The FC switch 310 is provided with FC ports 311a to 311i. In this example, the server 100, the storage device 200, and the FC switches 300 and 310 are connected through seven optical fibers as follows.    FC port 101-FC port 301a     FC port 102-FC port 311a     FC port 301e-FC port 201    FC port 301f-FC port 202    FC port 311e-FC port 203    FC port 311f-FC port 204    FC port 301i-FC port 311i 
In a fiber channel system, a unique identification cord called WWPN (World Wide Port Name) is assigned to the respective FC ports of a server and a storage device. Furthermore, the FC switch is provided with a zoning function (or an access control function) of defining the connection relation between the FC port on a server side and that on a storage device side using the WWPW that is assigned to each FC port. According to this zoning function, the connection between the FC port on a server side and that on a storage device side is dynamically controlled.
Therefore, the FC switches 300 and 310 are provided with zoning control units 302 and 312 for offering zoning functions, respectively. At the time of the configuration of a SAN system, the zone division information that indicates the connection relation between the FC ports 101 and 102 of the server 100 and the FC channels 201 to 204 of the storage device 200 is set for each of the zoning control units 302 and 312. In this way, an accessible logical communication path (hereinafter, referred to as access path) is set between the server 100 and the storage device 200.
For example, it is assumed that a “WWPN11” and a “WWPN12” are assigned to the FC ports 101 and 102 of the server 100, respectively, while “WWP21” through “WWPN24” are assigned to the FC ports 201 to 204 of the storage device 200, respectively. Furthermore, it is assumed that the following four access paths 1 through 4 are set.    AP1: FC port 101-FC port 201    AP2: FC port 101-FC port 203    AP3: FC port 102-FC port 202    AP4: FC port 102-FC port 204
In this case, the following zone division information may be set for each of the zoning control units 302 and 312.    Zone A (WWPW11, WWPN21)    Zone B (WWPW11, WWPN23)    Zone C (WWPW12, WWPN22)    Zone D (WWPW12, WWPN24)
In order to establish a SAN system as mentioned above, zone division information must be set to an FC switch, and the respective devices must be connected using an optical fiber.
As a technology related to the conventional technology, a patent document 1 describes a method of supporting the design of the configuration of an application system. This method includes procedures such that a restriction condition imposed on the configuration of a system is prepared in advance and the whole system finally satisfies the restriction condition while dividing the system using the restriction condition. A patent document 2 describes a method of effectively changing a system configuration by appropriately controlling a switch in the calculation system of performing remote control of a plurality of central processing units, a plurality of input-output control units and these switches. Furthermore, patent document 3 describes a different bus control device that does not rely on the system configuration of a control bus and is easily designed. In addition, a patent document 4 describes a maintenance system that can manage information without asking for manpower and a remote maintenance system that can selectively transfer the information related to an obstacle report.
A patent document 5 describes a method of detecting the connection relation of a hierarchy type network and displaying the configuration. Patent documents 6 and 7 describe a system that can perform the operation/control of a plurality of logical networks in the network configured by a plurality of objects. Furthermore, a patent document 8 describes a method of managing a SAN system.
[Patent Document 1]
    Publication of patent application No.10-187428 (pages 1 to 8, FIGS. 1 to 26)[Patent Document 2]    Publication of patent application No.4-304510 (pages 1 to 3, FIGS. 1 to 5)[Patent Document 3]    Publication of patent application No.8-56232 (pages 1 to 6, FIGS. 1 to 11)[Patent Document 4]    Publication of patent application No.8-129497 (pages 1 to 13, FIGS. 1 to 37)[Patent Document 5]    Publication of patent application No.4-266249 (pages 1 to 5, FIGS. 1 to 9)[Patent Document 6]    Publication of patent application No.10-294731 (pages 1 to 11, FIGS. 1 to 25)[Patent Document 7]    Publication of patent application No.11-340980 (pages 1 to 13, FIGS. 1 to 18)[Patent Document 8]    Publication of patent application No.2002-63063 (pages 1 to 11, FIGS. 1 to 10)
The design of a SAN system requires complicated know-how as the system has become large in scale. Accordingly, the burden on a system engineer has increased.
For the configuration of a SAN system, the WWPW of an FC port, the control numbers from a server to a storage device, the instant name information generated by a server, etc. are required. These pieces of information, however, must be obtained from the devices (server, storage device, etc.) that are actually used for the configuration of a SAN system. Conventionally, when a SAN system is configured, first the devices are connected and then the setting of an access path, etc. is carried out. Consequently, there is a problem such that the setting operation of an access path requires a great deal of time and labor so that the operation errors often occur when a large-scale system is configured.
Meanwhile, these problems do not necessarily occur only in a SAN system but they occur at the time of configuring the storage system to which one or a plurality of storage devices are connected via a network.